Free Remember the Night: a Heroes of the Night military romance novel by Nicole Leiren

of contentment and joy. The euphoria from the ride fueled her curiosity, and she decided to take the advantage her dark sunglasses gave her. She could do a cursory glance at everyone without being overt. Jason and Annie were sitting on the deck area playing with some sand toys they'd brought along for later. Mel and Daniel were sprawled out on the netting portion of the boat, soaking up some serious vitamin D. Natalia and Michael were sitting on the edge, watching the water go by and pointing at different boats or sea creatures they swore were lurking in the water. Since Bruce and Lydia had opted for a quiet day shopping, that left only Sam and Cody.
    She swallowed hard at the perfect specimen of man Cody made. His shirt had been tossed into a bag almost the moment they set sail. The first application of tanning oil made the muscles on his chest and arms gleam in the sun's rays. By the time this day was over, he'd be nothing short of a bronzed god.
    Get a grip.
    Her light skin would most likely be lobster red, even with multiple applications of SPF50.
    Though his muscles looked like cords of steel, she knew from firsthand experience how comforting and supportive they felt around her.
    Enough already! "Jason, come here, and let me put a little more sunscreen on your face. You don't want to get burned."
    "Aww, Mom." Though he complained, he still moved over to her and wrinkled his nose as she applied a generous layer.
    "Annie, come over here, and let me get some on you, too. You're a fair princess, and we want to protect that pretty little nose of yours."
    The young girl skipped over to her and smiled. "Just like you, Auntie Ev."
    Evelyn blinked rapidly, not wanting any moisture to escape at the young girl's sweet words. "Oh, sweetie, it's been a long time since anyone has thought of me as a fair princess." And her life stopped being a fairy tale many years ago.
    "All done. You both can go back and play now. We should be there shortly."
    "Good, cause I'm starving!" Jason put his hand over his tummy for added effect.
    She tousled his brown mop of hair. "You're always hungry. I think you eat more than your brother."
    Michael cut her a look at the statement but, for once, didn't argue with her. He shrugged at Natalia, smiled, and went back to doting on her while trying to appear nonchalant. Ah, to be young again.
    The boat docked, and the kids were off first. She caught up to Daniel and Melodie. "You two have fun exploring. I've got the kids."
    Melodie enveloped her in a big bear hug. "Thanks, Ev. We'll watch the kids one night for you if you want to go out."
    Evelyn accepted Annie's beach bag and watched Daniel share the good news with Annie.
    "Yay! I get to play with my brave knight instead of looking at boring stuff."
    Her outburst sent a ripple of laughter through the adults. Annie didn't seem to care as she grabbed Jason's hand and scoured the beach until she led him to a nice-looking area of sand. Evelyn located a beach chair nearby and arranged everything in a logical order. She'd just settled in when Cody came and sat next to her. Any relaxing thoughts she'd started to entertain dissipated the moment his coconut-oiled thigh touched hers.
    Thankfully, she didn't drool. When she looked up, Michael and Natalia were standing right by him.
    Cody grinned and lowered his lashes. He looked about twelve. "So, Mom. I…" he looked up at the two youngsters, "we were wondering if I could take the kids Jet Skiing."
    Her heart thudded, and her mouth went dry for not one but two reasons. Jet Skis were dangerous, and the thought of her "baby" riding on one set every single one of the one hundred billion neurons—a detail provided to her by Melodie after she did a research paper in college on the subject—on edge.
    The image of Cody straddling one of those powerful machines off the coast of Marina Beach sent at least ninety percent of those neurons streaming to key areas under her bathing suit, making it hard to concentrate from the